Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Maintaining task balance
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Emily Boyd
Bogged down with work tasks? Overrun by errands? This helpful tip shared by RTM user i3aj3 will ensure that you maintain balance in your task lists.
I have 4 task lists: Mind, Body, Spirit, & Other. Every task in a particular list is tagged with an eponymous tag. With this arrangement, I can quickly see every morning if my Today smart list is 'balanced'. If it isn't, I can add another task from one of my categories to make sure I'm hitting every category every day.
Of course, it all depends on what type of balance you're trying to strike. You could ostensibly try to balance your creative work, your analytical work, and your menial tasks. The possibilities are endless. And since you can have multiple tags, this could work in conjunction with the resource tagging system that was recently posted.
The strength of this system is that it helps you avoid ONLY doing what you need to do and forces you to do things you want to do. Since you only get around to doing the things you make time for, this system helps you make time for all the things you want to do.
Happy RTMing!
Thanks for sharing this tip, i3aj3! You’re our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week. :)
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum and add a new thread and let us know how you use RTM. Each week we’ll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Introducing Push Notifications for Remember The Milk app
Monday, June 29, 2009 by Emily Boyd
We're excited to announce that the latest version of the RTM app is now available on the App Store (look for version number 1.1.0). As previously mentioned, this update improves stability and performance on the iPhone 3.0 software, and fixes some bugs that are specific to iPhone 3.0 (the “swipe to complete” feature is back! :).
We've also snuck in one much-requested bonus feature: Push Notifications. For those not familiar with this new feature in iPhone OS 3.0, the Apple Push Notification service allows RTM to send instant task reminder alerts to your device. After updating and launching the RTM app, you'll be prompted to allow Push Notifications for RTM:
Once allowed, RTM will start sending reminders to your device via the Push Notification service (you can configure your reminder settings here on the RTM website):
We hope you like it! Want to learn more about the app in general? Check out the Remember The Milk for iPhone & iPod touch section of the site.
Update: We have a silly bug in version 1.1.0 that's preventing the Push Notification alerts from having sound (or vibrating). We've fixed this in 1.1.1, which will hopefully be available soon. In the meantime, please feel free to provide your own sound by imitating the device when a notification appears on screen (or if you're more creative, perhaps making a "moooo" sound?). Sorry everyone!
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Tagging with required resources
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 by Emily Boyd
How do you know which tasks can be completed with the resources you have on hand? RTM user marjancas shares this handy tip:
I use tags and smart lists to generate task lists that require resources such as my phone and my computer (with or without internet access).
For example, every task that requires me to call someone has a 'phone' tag and appears in a 'Phone' smart list. Then, when I know I am going to be waiting somewhere for an undefined amount of time, such as at the DMV to get my license renewed, I print out the 'Phone' task list and start checking off those tasks as I wait. Tasks that require my computer but not internet access appear in an 'Offline Computer' smart list and can be completed on the airplane. You get the idea!
Thanks for sharing this tip, marjancas! You’re our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week. :)
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum and add a new thread and let us know how you use RTM. Each week we’ll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Support for iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update
Wednesday, June 17, 2009 by Emily Boyd
As many iPhone and iPod touch users are no doubt aware (and counting down to!), the iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update will be available from Apple today. Due to the many technical changes in iPhone 3.0, we've submitted an updated version of the Remember The Milk app to Apple. This update improves stability and performance on the iPhone 3.0 software, and fixes some bugs that are specific to iPhone 3.0 (in particular, the "swipe to complete tasks" feature won't work on iPhone 3.0 without the updated version of our app). We're currently waiting for our updated app to be approved by Apple and made available for download on the App Store; we'll update this post as soon as it's available (in the meantime, if the "swipe to complete" feature is critical to your workflow, you might wish to hold off on updating your iPhone to 3.0 for just a little bit :). Update June 28: The update (1.1.0) has been approved and is available on the App Store. Upgrade away! :)
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Keeping your CV up-to-date
Tuesday, June 16, 2009 by Emily Boyd
Sometimes it's hard to remember to refresh your CV or résumé with your latest career achievements, but with this handy tip from RTM user fbiljecki you'll be up-to-date and ready for any opportunity:
A lot of people from time to time have to send their CVs to various institutions, and the contents of their CVs are normally changing through time. To avoid changing and updating my CV in panic every time before a deadline for submitting it is close and while preparing it quickly forgetting about some important stuff I could put inside, I added a small reminder "Update your CV" to RTM, repeating every two months. So, every two months I add new stuff to my CV (e.g. projects completed, new skills, education/training completed, experience gained, new interests) and improve existing lines.
In this way my CV is always ready and up-to-date for potential scholarships, employers and various organisations. Needless to say, by writing your CV little by little, you can't just forget to put some essential stuff in it. If I suddenly get an idea to put something in my CV but don't have time to do so, I just add a note in the task and add it when the time for updating my CV comes.
Thanks for sharing this tip, fbiljecki! You're our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week. :)
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum and add a new thread and let us know how you use RTM. Each week we’ll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Creating weekly status reports
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 by Emily Boyd
RTM isn't only a great way to keep track of the tasks you haven't done yet; it's also a handy way to review what you've accomplished. RTM user nmj3e describes a neat way to create status reports with RTM:
Every Friday, I am required to send an email to my boss detailing my work for the past week. I have found RTM to be invaluable for creation of these weekly status reports. I have a Smart List called "Status Report" defined to search 'completedWithin:"one week of today" and location:Work'. This not only lets me see all of the things I have accomplished in the past week, but it also gives me an incentive to make sure all the things I am doing are tracked in RTM so that they get reflected in the status report.
nmj3e, you're our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner this week. :)
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum and add a new thread and let us know how you use RTM. Each week we’ll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.
Why you should update your Pro Tester Program profile
Monday, June 8, 2009 by Emily Boyd
We've been keeping Bob T. Monkey pretty busy lately; aside from his weekly modelling gig posing for our tips and tricks posts, he's been holed up in his high-tech lab, rigorously testing RTM's latest top-secret features (shhh!).
Bob doesn't do his testing alone; he's helped out by nice folks who've joined the Pro Tester Program. PTP members are invited to try pre-release versions of new RTM features, and help us by providing feedback and reporting any problems encountered.
If you're a PTP member, Bob relies on your tester profile to decide which features he should invite you to try out. Now, Bob's pretty talented, but he's not psychic. Bob doesn't know that you've gone and switched browser allegiances, ditched your old operating system, or become a fanboy (or girl) of the latest trendy mobile phone.
While Bob's happy for your choices, he asks that you keep your tester profile up-to-date to make sure you don't miss any exciting testing opportunities (and keep an eye on your inbox for any invitations!). If you're a Pro user who hasn't already joined the Pro Tester Program, what are you waiting for? Join today!
Tips & Tricks Tuesday: Most Important Tasks
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 by Emily Boyd
Finding yourself overwhelmed with tasks? Not sure what's most important today? Try this helpful tip shared by RTM user srtech on the Tips & Tricks forum:
As recommended by those who are productivity experts, I've been attempting to define three Most Important Tasks (MIT) that I need to get done each day. I use the RTM priority system to set the priority of my MITs to 1 each evening or early in the morning. They then show up at the top of my list.
The key when doing this, is that if you do not complete a MIT, you need to make sure you change the priority back to normal, before defining the next days MITs. Otherwise, you will end up with bunch of high priority tasks, rendering the system useless.
Thanks for sharing this tip, srtech! You’re our Tips & Tricks Tuesday winner. :)
Do you have a suggestion for our weekly Tips & Tricks post? Got an interesting set-up or idea? Head over to the Tips & Tricks forum and add a new thread and let us know how you use RTM. Each week we’ll give away a 1 year Pro account to the user whose idea inspires the Tips & Tricks Tuesday blog post for that week.